Over the weekend it was not some disenchanted and long-suffering Greek, nor Irishman, nor even a Spaniard, but a German who burned and stabbed himself to death in front of the Reichstag in broad daylight. Moments ago, yet another country which has so far had been spared ritualistic (attempted) suicides, joined the ranks of places where people would rather take their lives than live under the oppressive European depression, when a 55 year man of Romanian origin and father of six, currently living in Pinerolo in Piedmont, set himself on fire in from the presidential palace in Rome, the Quirinale. As Repubblica reports, he was protesting the economic conditions and the lack of job opportunities. It appears that whereas Europe may be “saved” and PIIGS bonds are being bought for the time being, the monetary transmission mechanism is still certainly clogged up and the central bank’s record liquidity is neither reaching the ordinary citizens of Europe nor, most certainly, the most political square in Rome.

Behind the act there would be family problems, but above all economic. The act seems to have been exacerbated by not being able to provide for his family even the bare necessirites due to extended unemployed. The man has burns on 50% of his body and was unconscious when he was taken away. The scene is consumed in front of stunned tourists: the man doused himself with alcohol and used a lighter to light the flames.

Also when we said this is the first case of self-immolation in Rome we were wrong:

On 11 August a worker of 54 years, a native of Forli, set on fire in front of the Palace Montecitorio and was admitted to St. Eugene with burns on 85% of the body. The Widower, had lost his job for two months and had not yet managed to find another job. The worker died after eight days of suffering.

Sadly for a nation, and a continent, which despite all the endless lies in the media, is getting more and more desperate, and where 25% official unemployment (so 50% unofficial) is the norm, this is just the beginning.